Vision illumination system for range finder

Abstract

Apparatus for illuminating a remote object first with uniform intensity and second with a pattern so the detector array may view the object to determine its characteristics and view the pattern to determine the range to the object.

I claim: 
     
       1. Apparatus for use with a system which includes a detector array operable to produce a first signal containing information indicative of the characteristics of a remote object and to produce a second signal containing information indicative of the range to the remote object comprising: radiation emitting means operable in a first condition to transmit radiation to the remote object so as to substantially uniformly illuminate the remote object, the remote object reflecting at least a portion of the radiation to the detector array for use thereby in producing the first signal and in a second condition to transmit radiation to the remote object so as to provide a non-uniform pattern of illumination on the remote object, the remote object reflecting at least a portion of the radiation to the detector array for use thereby in producing a second signal.   
     
     
       2. Apparatus according to claim 1, further including a first lens and wherein the radiation transmitted to the remote object is through the first lens and the radiation reflected from the remote object to the array is through the first lens. 
     
     
       3. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said radiation emitting means comprises a group of radiation sources each energizable to produce radiation and further means operable to energize a first plurality of sources in the group to produce the first condition and to energize at least one of the sources to produce the second condition. 
     
     
       4. Apparatus according to claim 3, further including radiation diffusing means mounted between said radiation sources and the remote object. 
     
     
       5. Apparatus according to claim 3, further including a negative lens between the radiation sources and the remote object so that the size of the predetermined pattern is appropriate to the size of the detector array. 
     
     
       6. Apparatus according to claim 1 further including filter means mounted between the remote object and the array to filter radiation other than that produced by the radiation emitting means. 
     
     
       7. Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the group of radiation sources are light emitting diodes. 
     
     
       8. Apparatus according to claim 1 further including another apparatus according to claim 1 and means mounting the two apparatuses a predetermined distance apart on opposite sides of a path operable to contain a moving member, the second signal from each of the apparatuses being presented to computing means which subtracts the sum of the second signals from a third signal representative of the predetermined distance to provide an output signal indicative of the width of the moving member. 
     
     
       9. Apparatus for use with character recognition and range finding equipment which comprises an array of radiation sensitive detectors positioned to receive radiation along a first path from a remote object and operable to produce a first output containing information relative to the character of the remote object and a second output containing information relative to the range to the remote object comprising: radiation emitting means having first and second conditions, in the first condition said emitting means transmits radiation to the remote object so that the radiation from the remote object to the detector array may be used to produce the first output and, in the second condition, said emitting means transmits radiation so as to illuminate the remote object in a non-uniform pattern so that the radiation from the remote object to the detector array may be used to produce the second output; and   control means connected to said emitting means and operable to change said emitting means from the first condition to the second condition.   
     
     
       10. Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said emitting means transmits radiation to the remote object at least partly along the first path. 
     
     
       11. Apparatus according to claim 9 wherein said emitting means comprises a plurality of individual radiation emitters a first group of which when energized, produce the substantially uniform illumination and a second group of which when energized, produce the non-uniform pattern and wherein said control means operates to energize the first and second groups. 
     
     
       12. Apparatus according to claim 11, further including diffusing means mounted between the said emitting means and the object to at least partially diffuse the radiation emitted by the radiation emitters. 
     
     
       13. Apparatus according to claim 11, further including a negative lens mounted between said emitting means the remote object to make the size of the pattern transmitted by the second group of emitters consistent with the size of said detector array. 
     
     
       14. Apparatus according to claim 9 further including filter means mounted in the first path to filter radiation other than that produced by said emitting means. 
     
     
       15. First and second apparatuses according to claim 9, mounted a predetermined distance apart on opposite sides of a path adapted to contain a moving object and computer means connected to receive the second outputs of the first and second apparatuses and to subtract the sum of the range to opposite sides of the moving object from the predetermined distance to produce an output signal containing information relative to the thickness of the moving object.